von Goetz gallery has committed to an ambitious undertaking. A Place Between the Pines, running from 31st May to 28th June 2026, will occupy the historic Crowsley Park estate in South Oxfordshire with works by seventeen international artists exploring Carl Jung’s transcendent function theory.
This isn’t another group exhibition with loose thematic connections. The curatorial premise asks viewers to sit with the transformative power of sustained tension between opposing forces, rather than seeking easy resolution.
Psychological Framework Meets Contemporary Practice
Lucy von Goetz, Director of von Goetz and Curator of A Place Between the Pines, states her intentions clearly: “This is going to be a powerful exhibition. Hugely varied works, precise and intriguing visual languages and technical excellence. It will be wanting for nothing, not to mention the incredible setting it will be housed in. These artists are all working through very refined conceptual and philosophical ideas, nothing is by mistake.”
Jung’s transcendent function operates on a simple premise. Transformation emerges not through conflict resolution but through maintaining dynamic tension between opposites. A third position emerges that transcends binary thinking and opens new pathways to meaning.
The seventeen participating artists work across painting, sculpture, and photography. They come from ten countries.
The roster includes Max Bainbridge, Johanna Bath, Alicja Biala, Anna Blom, Tereza Červeňová, Salvatore Fiorello, Lavinia Harrington, Beatrice Hasell-McCosh, Jin Han Lee, Callum Harvey, Henry Hudson, Jemima Moore, Martine Poppe, Jessie Stevenson, Jill Tate, Yijia Wu, and Xu Yang.
The Pine Forest as Psychological Territory
The exhibition’s title draws from the pine forest as symbol of individuation. Jung’s term for integrating conscious and unconscious elements of the psyche. Pine trees stretch vertically while their roots spread deep underground. The connection between earthly depth and celestial aspiration becomes visible.
This natural symbolism functions as more than aesthetic decoration. It’s a conceptual framework through which contemporary artists explore identity, loss, belonging, and transformation. The pine forest becomes what Jung would recognise as a projection screen for unconscious contents, making them visible and accessible to conscious reflection.
Nature, in Jungian psychology, serves as one of the primary surfaces onto which the unconscious projects its hidden contents.
Crowsley Park’s Layered History
The venue adds symbolic resonance to the curatorial concept. Crowsley Park sits near Henley-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire. Built in 1720, the estate occupies ancient parklands documented from the thirteenth century and once home to a royal deer herd in 1595.
The Baskerville family owned the estate from 1845. They hosted Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in one of the rooms that will house contemporary artworks during the exhibition.
The BBC requisitioned the property in 1942. Crowsley Park served as a vital receiving station during World War II and the Cold War period. This transformation from private residence to communications hub shows the property’s ability to adapt across centuries.
The exhibition operates with the personal permission of Jeff Banks CBE PPCSD FRSA.
Contemporary Landscape as Theatre
The curatorial statement positions contemporary landscape as “a theatre in which identity, loss, belonging and transformation are rehearsed.” The exhibition functions not as a display of objects but as a performance space where psychological processes unfold through artistic encounter.
The artists’ engagement with landscape creates opportunities for visitors to recognise their own psychological processes reflected in artistic expression. This transforms the traditional gallery experience into something closer to therapeutic encounter, though mediated through aesthetic rather than clinical frameworks.
The international scope means this landscape theatre encompasses diverse cultural perspectives on identity and belonging. Different cultural approaches to psychological transformation engage in dialogue.
von Goetz’s Curatorial Evolution
Lucy von Goetz founded the gallery in 2017 in a Brixton warehouse. The move from that initial London base to the current Holland Park location reflects growing international reputation and ambitious programming.
The gallery’s distinctive approach involves travelling worldwide to identify unique sites for exhibitions featuring contemporary artists. This nomadic curatorial practice allows von Goetz to create site-specific dialogues between contemporary art and historic or culturally significant locations, similar to how auction houses like Christie’s create exhibitions in historic settings.
Lucy von Goetz‘s role combines art adviser, curator, and gallerist. Her approach balances commercial acuity with curatorial sophistication, maintaining both artistic integrity and market relevance.
Exhibition Access and Documentation
A Place Between the Pines operates by appointment throughout its four-week run. This approach ensures intimate viewing experiences that align with the exhibition’s philosophical depth rather than casual browsing.
A comprehensive catalogue will accompany the exhibition, featuring an essay by Lucy von Goetz. This publication extends the exhibition’s impact beyond its temporal boundaries.
The catalogue provides visitors with tools for deeper engagement with both the artworks and their underlying philosophical foundations. Such documentation reflects von Goetz’s commitment to contributing to contemporary art discourse rather than merely presenting objects, similar to how major auction houses document significant artistic collections.
Jung’s concept of the transcendent function provides a relevant lens through which to view contemporary art’s relationship to meaning-making. In an era of polarisation and binary thinking, the exhibition proposes that artistic expression can model more nuanced approaches to understanding complexity and contradiction.
The emphasis on avoiding “reductive simplicity of binaries” speaks to contemporary art’s capacity to hold multiple perspectives simultaneously. Each participating artist contributes to a collective exploration that values complexity over resolution, process over conclusion, reflecting the thoughtful curation seen in significant art exhibitions.
